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Cape Town - Sport24 readers say people are free to support any team, but they should do so with class and in the spirit of the game.
The off-field antics of the so-called 'Cape Crusaders' fans has again come under scrutiny following allegations of behaviour contrary to the spirit of the game.
This follows other incidences such as the death of a fan outside the Shark Tank and a violent fan fight inside the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) has begun an investigation into alleged incidents of bad behaviour by spectators at Newlands during the Stormers' Super Rugby defeat to the Crusaders last Saturday.
Rob Wagner, WP Rugby’s managing director, issued an apology for the bad behaviour of a segment of the crowd at Newlands and vowed to conduct an investigation into ensuring that those at fault were in future prevented from ruining the match-day enjoyment of others.
Springbok wing Bryan Habana also recently hit out at the 'Cape Crusaders' fans on Twitter. He tweeted: If I had the money I would happily buy all these “Cape Crusaders” a one way ticket to Christchurch!! #disappointedproudsouthafrican
Before adding: highly doubt there’s any place in the world where you get booed off your bus, at your home stadium, by your “fellow” countrymen. And yet there are so many amazing, passionate, faithful supporters at Newlands!! We really appreciate your support!!!
Here's what Sport24 readers had to say about the Newlands fan behaviour:
"Any stadium has those idiots that make it unpleasant for the majority." - Paul Sdoow
"I am a Stormer and WP supporter and I will not go to Newlands until they can control the crowd behavior. It used to be a great place to watch rugby, clapping and appreciating good rugby: No BOOing, no swearing and with the locals singing their hearts out for their beloved WP. A place you could take your wife and kids. Oh, how I long for the good old days!" - Ronnie Du Plessis
"Has to be the most classless venue in SA. How they're not using Green Point is beyond me. State of the art stadium with awesome facilities vs old dump where it takes you 30 minutes to buy a coke over half time, yet they're still there." - Jacques
"Biggest step towards eradicating this behaviour is to, if not banning alcohol outright, at least putting a limit on the amount available. It's up to the stadium management to ensure they create the environment in which drunken thuggery won't happen." - David Scott Duncan
"There is an extra element when the Crusaders play at Newlands and I can't say they are actual rugby fans, but rather a bunch of people looking to rile people up. It's getting to the point where I don't feel I should take my mom to a Crusaders game. I'm a loyal Stormers fan and sit behind the players every game, but I can't say that I enjoy the Crusaders game." - Bridgitte Cowden
"All the reasons given by the cockroaches as to why they support the All Blacks or Crusaders is a lot of bull. The truth is that they support the All Blacks because of their winning record. NZ teams won 11 out of the last 17 super rugby finals. They support the Crusaders because they won 7 of the last 17 super rugby finals." - Robert Constable
"There is more to supporting a team than jumping ship when they lose." - RC
'Cape Crusaders' show their colours proudly. (Gallo Images)
What should be done to curtail unruly behaviour by fans at South African rugby stadiums? Send your thoughts to Sport24, comment on our website or via Facebook and Twitter.
The off-field antics of the so-called 'Cape Crusaders' fans has again come under scrutiny following allegations of behaviour contrary to the spirit of the game.
This follows other incidences such as the death of a fan outside the Shark Tank and a violent fan fight inside the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
The Western Province Rugby Union (WPRU) has begun an investigation into alleged incidents of bad behaviour by spectators at Newlands during the Stormers' Super Rugby defeat to the Crusaders last Saturday.
Rob Wagner, WP Rugby’s managing director, issued an apology for the bad behaviour of a segment of the crowd at Newlands and vowed to conduct an investigation into ensuring that those at fault were in future prevented from ruining the match-day enjoyment of others.
Springbok wing Bryan Habana also recently hit out at the 'Cape Crusaders' fans on Twitter. He tweeted: If I had the money I would happily buy all these “Cape Crusaders” a one way ticket to Christchurch!! #disappointedproudsouthafrican
Before adding: highly doubt there’s any place in the world where you get booed off your bus, at your home stadium, by your “fellow” countrymen. And yet there are so many amazing, passionate, faithful supporters at Newlands!! We really appreciate your support!!!
Here's what Sport24 readers had to say about the Newlands fan behaviour:
"Any stadium has those idiots that make it unpleasant for the majority." - Paul Sdoow
"I am a Stormer and WP supporter and I will not go to Newlands until they can control the crowd behavior. It used to be a great place to watch rugby, clapping and appreciating good rugby: No BOOing, no swearing and with the locals singing their hearts out for their beloved WP. A place you could take your wife and kids. Oh, how I long for the good old days!" - Ronnie Du Plessis
"Has to be the most classless venue in SA. How they're not using Green Point is beyond me. State of the art stadium with awesome facilities vs old dump where it takes you 30 minutes to buy a coke over half time, yet they're still there." - Jacques
"Biggest step towards eradicating this behaviour is to, if not banning alcohol outright, at least putting a limit on the amount available. It's up to the stadium management to ensure they create the environment in which drunken thuggery won't happen." - David Scott Duncan
"There is an extra element when the Crusaders play at Newlands and I can't say they are actual rugby fans, but rather a bunch of people looking to rile people up. It's getting to the point where I don't feel I should take my mom to a Crusaders game. I'm a loyal Stormers fan and sit behind the players every game, but I can't say that I enjoy the Crusaders game." - Bridgitte Cowden
"All the reasons given by the cockroaches as to why they support the All Blacks or Crusaders is a lot of bull. The truth is that they support the All Blacks because of their winning record. NZ teams won 11 out of the last 17 super rugby finals. They support the Crusaders because they won 7 of the last 17 super rugby finals." - Robert Constable
"There is more to supporting a team than jumping ship when they lose." - RC
'Cape Crusaders' show their colours proudly. (Gallo Images)
What should be done to curtail unruly behaviour by fans at South African rugby stadiums? Send your thoughts to Sport24, comment on our website or via Facebook and Twitter.
